Unofficial summary. This is a community summary of the town's official minutes, provided so the record is searchable and readable. It condenses the meeting and may omit detail. Some private individuals’ personal details have been left out. The official signed PDF is the complete record of authority.
A note on the link above: the town’s record of this meeting is a Word document from the Town Clerk’s office, and it is no longer available on the town’s website. The “Official PDF” link is a copy we host, converted to PDF for reading; the content is the town’s, unaltered, and we keep the original Word file alongside it. For a certified copy, ask the Town Clerk.
Office of the Planning Board, Town of Schaghticoke — July 10, 2024, at the Town Hall, 290 Northline Drive, Melrose.
Public hearings (7:00 PM)
The Chairman explained the public-hearing procedure.
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Phillips conservation subdivision (Tax Map #71.-1-5.21). Surveyor Brian Holbritter presented the 23.68-acre parcel at the end of Brielle Road off Ryan Road, owned by Anita and John Phillips, for a 1.33-acre one-lot subdivision. There were no public comments, and the hearing closed at 7:08 p.m.
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Briggs timber harvest permit (Tax Map #31.-2-47). Gary Webber, for Mountain View Logging, presented owner Paul Briggs’s proposed 175.78-acre timber harvest of vacant land at Neeson Lane off Sliter Road — clear-cutting about 40 acres for an agricultural field and selectively cutting the remainder.
Public comment. Numerous residents spoke. In support, comments urged the use of a licensed forester, prevention of invasive species, protection against erosion, and following the DEC’s timber-harvest guidance. Neighbors raised concerns about early-morning work and machinery noise, damage to Neeson Lane and the narrow dirt lane, unclear or unsurveyed property boundaries, displacement of wildlife, and wetlands, streams, and required setbacks — several asking whether the harvest had the necessary permit and how prior harvests had left the roads. Chairman Alessandrini explained that a timber harvest requires a permit only once it reaches the threshold set in the Zoning Code, that the DEC sets wetland setbacks, and that residents should bring concerns to the town’s sole Code Enforcement Officer, Scott Frisino. The hearing closed at 8:00 p.m.
Regular meeting
Members present: Frank Alessandrini (Chairman), Kasey Casas, Dan Clow, Elizabeth Hale, Vince Ragone, Chris Reynolds, and Bob Weir. David Brennan, Town Attorney, was present. The Board approved the June 5, 2024 minutes (Clow · Ragone · all).
Applications
- Phillips one-lot conservation subdivision (Tax Map #71.-1-5.21). With no changes to the application and Steve Dean, P.E., retained to design the septic, the Board issued a negative declaration under SEQR and granted preliminary approval (Clow · Hale · all); the $180 fee was to follow.
- ASD Solar II and III. Jason Dell (Lansing Engineering) and Paul Kruger (Active Solar Development) are not yet ready to present the site-plan modifications for the two Route 67 facilities.
- Briggs timber harvest permit (Tax Map #31.-2-47). The Board will consider the public’s concerns and visit the site, and gave the applicant a list of items to address before the August meeting: voluntary best-management practices for water quality, an invasive-species plan, verification of property boundaries, maintenance and restoration of Neeson Lane, steep-slope topography, logging in forested wetlands and near classified streams (and whether DEC permits are required), buffers at adjoining properties, hours of operation, and wildlife impacts. No SEQR is yet on file.
- Rohloff subdivision (Tax Map #32.-3-29). Surveyor Brian Holbritter updated the Board on a proposed 4-lot subdivision on 8.15 acres from a 19-acre RA parcel owned by Brian Rohloff. Septic designs are RCHD-approved and the SWPP was submitted; an archeological study was provided. The Board still needs a SEQR negative declaration, preliminary approval, and a final EAF.
- Constable Tree Service, LLC (Tax Map #41.-1-62.2). Owner Michael Constable appeared regarding the tree-service business at 939 NYS Route 40, for which a Special Use Permit was granted about two years ago. The business has not adhered to the approved site plan: paved handicap parking and landscaping were not completed, and a car-port structure not shown on the site plan sits in the backyard. The Board directed that the fencing and car port be added to the site plan, the landscaping completed, and — if the car port does not meet the required 50-foot setback — that it be moved or an area variance sought from the ZBA.
- Genesis Burial Vault — Special Use Permit & site-plan review (Tax Map #41.-1-61). Owner David Baker appeared regarding the burial-vault painting business at 943 NYS Route 40 in Melrose, which is already operating. The Chairman explained that a site plan (building, storage, setbacks, handicap parking, landscaping, lighting, signage) is required. The application, short-form EAF, and Agricultural Data Statement were submitted; a public hearing will be scheduled for August.
- McDonough lot-line adjustment (Tax Map #71.9-1-1 and #70.-3-1.161). Edward McDonough applied for a subdivision waiver of a 1,396-square-foot (0.03-acre) strip from adjacent owner Robert MacNaughton to the McDonough lot at the end of Milky Way Road; surveyor Mark Danskin was authorized to act. The Board granted the subdivision waiver (Hale · Weir · all).
Respectfully submitted by Elizabeth Hale, Clerk.
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